As part of a company’s development strategy, ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning – is an essential tool for better structuring business processes and optimizing costs. Its implementation quickly becomes essential to the SME, which comes up against the tedious nature of “manual” data entry and extraction tasks. The ERP project is also necessary when the solution does not adapt to changes in the company or when the publisher can no longer provide the necessary updates. From the appropriate choice of software to its use in the best conditions, implementing an ERP requires mobilizing sufficient time and human resources. Here are our seven tips for successfully managing your ERP project.
1/ Define the company’s objectives within the framework of the ERP project
1st essential step in managing your ERP project: determine the company’s needs that the software package must satisfy. This is about asking the right questions:
- Why implement an erp software development company?Better manage the company’s activity: improvement of the monitoring and exploitation of data, replacement of an obsolete solution to the evolutions of the company, replacement of a set of heterogeneous applications… The reasons vary according to the activity’s specificities and the company’s size.
- What are the major points to improve?Coordinating services via a tool for centralizing information, controlling deadlines by standardization, and accelerating processes… This question about the tools already in place within the structure must be considered.
- What are the key business data?Sales, production, supplies, stocks, cash flow… The prioritization of information makes it possible to refine the ERP project.
The definition of objectives takes place at the 1 st level of decision-makers: it is necessary that the leaders adhere to the project unanimously and that they agree on the orientations to be followed. This cohesion is decisive for the success of the implementation of the ERP.
2/ Write a complete specification
Once the objectives are clearly determined, it is imperative to put them in writing. By formalizing the ERP project in specifications, the company has material support to consult in case of doubt and establishes the project’s legitimacy, thus validated upstream in writing.
The specifications take up the needs and objectives of the company and specify:
- The progress of internal processes specific to the activity.
- The business specificities and the resulting constraints.
By refining the project as much as possible in the specifications, you make it easier for yourself to choose the ERP when comparing several solutions and make sure you find the most suitable software.
3/Set up a dedicated team to manage the ERP project
The success of the ERP project is largely conditioned by the mobilization of the necessary and competent human resources. Therefore, appoint the right number of people, compose the team strategically and determine the time it should devote to managing the ERP project.
- The number of people dedicated to setting up the software depends on the company’s workforce and the tool’s complexity level.
- The composition of the team must include an internally appointed project manager. It is wise to choose a person occupying a technical function whose position offers a transversal vision of the company and its activities. A representative sample of key users of the software accompanies it. In any case, the project manager remains the sole referent of ERP users: his legitimacy must be indisputable.
- Management monitoring of the ERP project must be provided by the management, which intervenes punctually during planning meetings or when making strategic decisions.
Mobilizing the team in charge only partially but over the long term is recommended.
4/Choose the right ERP software
At a key stage in the project, the choice of ERP software must be made with care: setting up the tool requires an investment in time and money, which must be profitable over time. To avoid making any mistakes, start by establishing a shortlist of suitable solutions regarding the specifications. Three overriding criteria in establishing this list:
- Choose a software adapted to your business. Its specific features and interface ensure optimal use and all the more benefits.
- Prefer a customizable solution. You thus control the useful use of your data and gain autonomy over the long term.
- Make sure that the publisher offers quality support over time. The support service provided by the provider is essential for implementing a sustainable project. A single interlocutor facilitates exchanges during deployment and contributes to the proper handling of the tool. The quality and frequency of training are also essential points to ensure the success of the ERP project.
Once your shortlist has been established, you can request a demonstration from the various publishers to refine your choice and adapt the ERP that best suits your business.
Advantages of a business ERP project vs. the verticalization of a generalist ERP
Do you want to improve your performance? It is, therefore, imperative that the ERP project be able to respond to your business issues. In addition to designing a tailor-made tool, it is also possible to verticalize a generalist ERP or opt for a business-oriented one.
The adaptation of the standards of a generalist ERP to the business specificities of the company, called verticalization, implies the intervention of a project integrator … who is not automatically a business specialist. The service is completely legitimate but presents strong constraints in terms of time and budget. Indeed, the ERP project integrator must understand the business as a whole to respond precisely to its various problems. He will often have to develop specific modules, such as the management and definitions of materials in mechanical subcontracting. Without forgetting that each functional specificity will lead in its wake to an adaptation of the processes! The volume of work can be substantial, especially since each new version will give rise to migration and additional technical adaptations. The implementation of the verticalization project of a transverse ERP is, therefore, complex, long, and costly. You should be aware of this before opting for this solution.
Conversely, business-oriented ERP is a ready-to-use solution, integrating native modules adapted to the business. Its functionalities have been considered, developed, and improved according to the various feedbacks by a specialized editor. Thus, the tool precisely addresses all the issues specific to a particular business. The significant advantage lies in that this type of standard ERP requires only a few functional adaptations and very short test phases in the event of a version change. Benefiting from a simple and rapid deployment, the business ERP project appears to be the most advantageous solution at all levels.
5/Train users continuously
A good ERP evolves with technological advances but also with the internal development of the company. Therefore, for a good investment, it is essential to choose a solid publisher able to adapt its tools when a customer needs them. And to take advantage of these developments, the publisher must provide ongoing training for ERP users in the company.
6/The importance of the ERP project in an Industry 4.0 context
In the manufacturing industry, the new way of organizing the means of production through digital technologies gives a central role to the ERP project. Whether technical, commercial, or related to design, quality standards, or stocks, all the information passing between the different departments converges on this central body. They are then centralized, coordinated, analyzed, and redistributed in real time. And the various digital tools used in intra- and inter-departmental processes (CAD/CAM software, machine tools, measuring machines, robots, RFID solutions, storage devices, etc.) work from this data! CQFD for the purely technical part.
It should also be remembered that in the context of Industry 4.0, the ERP project must contribute to meeting major challenges, regardless of the sector of activity: creating and delivering more complex and personalized products within deadlines, even shorter while reducing production costs for the company. Yes, but how?
The key to the success of an ERP project lies primarily in its constant interconnection with internal systems (production tools, CAPM, CAD/CAM software, PDM, etc.) and external systems (customer/supplier platforms, stocks, etc.). Why?
- The information is the same for everyone at all times
- Data can be viewed on the move
- Technical data is modeled very accurately and in detail
- Each business function is interconnected and extended to MES systems (Manufacturing Execution System)
- The traceability of ascending and descending processes is guaranteed
- Collaborative work is encouraged
Real levers of success, these benefits make it possible to simplify and accelerate the work within the processes and make relevant decisions. As a result, responsiveness to adapt to the production context is improved, and efficiency is enhanced. In the end, the company gains in productivity and maximizes customer satisfaction in quantitative (respect of delivery deadlines) and qualitative (responsiveness, accuracy of information, relevant advice, and adaptation of products to demanding) terms. The ERP project, therefore, fits well as a central element of industry 4.0.
7/Why choose TopSolid’Erp?
From experience, when a company uses CAD/CAM software, communication with its ERP proves to be as complex as it is costly. However, performance in the era of Industry 4.0 is largely due to good interoperability between the various digital tools and the sustainability of the resulting benefits.
The TopSolid digital chain’s advantage lies in the integration of business-related processes and CAD/CAM data into the ERP project. Benefiting from native CAD/CAM/ERP/PDM industrial management, the solution has significant advantages:
- A business pre-configuration is open to customization to always be in line with the strategic and decision-making specificities of its customers, according to the specificities of customers.
- Ergonomics designed to allow quick handling and optimized use time for any search, access, and input action
- An interface that can be adapted according to user profiles
- Control of supply and sales processes
- Precise and real-time management of production, thanks to a native algorithmic scheduling module
- Activity management tools to increase operational efficiency and responsiveness and thus make relevant and appropriate decisions.
- A complete functional scope meeting ISO 9001 and EN 9100 quality standards.
- Integrated document management guarantees the traceability of the versioning of internal and external documents.
Within a wide functional scope and a centralized system, the TopSolid software suite allows an optimal circulation of information (CAD/CAM, purchases and sales, stocks, accounting, etc.) and revitalizes the processes linked to it. Linked. Automation of input tasks, better consistency between manufacturing records and production flow, elimination of errors and traceability… choosing TopSolid’Erp means making sure you save time, reliability, agility, and responsiveness: the cocktail ideal strategy to significantly increase productivity and improve business performance over the long term!
Conclusion
From preparation to project completion, setting up ERP software can be tedious and full of pitfalls unless you follow some good advice. Its success indeed implies careful preparation upstream of the ERP project: the definition of your objectives, the development of the specifications, and the mobilization of a dedicated team… these stages are as important as the very selection of the software. And when choosing, think long term! The publisher must offer personalized support, adaptation to the company’s changing needs, and continuous training for your teams. Targeted mechanical production, sheet metal, boiler making, and composites, TopSolid’Erp is a complete ERP solution integrating CAD/CAM, implemented by experts who support you over time and position themselves as true partners for the success of your ERP project!
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